Department-wide Learning Goals

Towards this end, we have developed a set of department-wide learning goals describing the fundamental concepts in biology as well as the developing insight into the process and product of biological science.

We have examined each course in our curriculum to determine where students are introduced to each learning goal, where the learning goal is reinforced, and finally, where we demand mastery.

Efforts to bring genomics and bioinformatics to undergraduate research programs

Prof. Anne Rosenwald is a leader in development of research materials for undergraduates to use that are based on the latest technologies. Several groups of Georgetown students have conducted research projects to examine changes in gene expression using DNA microarray analysis. She has led workshops to teach educators on how to implement this technology in their classrooms and is a coauthor on an article published about teaching and microarrays.

Generating a Community for Undergraduate Research Through the Use of Comparative Microbial Genomics is a project funded by the National Science Foundation. This grant was authored by Anne Rosenwald and Janet Russell from the GU's Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, Jennifer Roecklein-Canfield from Simmons College, and Ramana Madupu from J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI).

Genomics Education Partnership (GEP)

Consortium of faculty from primarily undergraduate institutions working together to promote undergraduate students using genomic approaches to solve scientific problems. Current efforts are geared towards understanding the evolution of the dot chromosome in Drosophila by comparative genomics. Students contribute to both sequence finishing and annotation projects.

Reseach Opportunities for Undergraduates

Traditionally, a majority of undergraduate students conduct research in the laboratory, in the field, or or computationally under the direction of faculty mentors in the Department of Biology, the Medical Center or at local research institutions. Other students commit themselves to developing lesson plans and engaging high school students in biology. Follow these links for information on undergraduate research opportunities or the titles of senior theses.

Graduate Students and Learning to Teach

All graduate students in the Department of Biology learn how to teach in a pedagogy course. They can also receive a Teaching Apprenticeship Certificate through participation in workshops sponsored by the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.

Transforming Undergraduate Biology Education for All Students: An Action Plan for the Twenty-First Century authored by Terry Woodin, Diane Smith and Deborah Allen in CBE Life Sciences Education, Winter 2009. ARTICLE PDF

New textbook in Population Genetics

Prof. Matt Hamilton has written a new textbook on Population Genetics for advanced undergraduate and graduate students. This text, published by Wiley-Blackwell, was designed to demonstrate fundamental concepts with interactive lessons and simulations. For additional information on this book, click here.